ROCKETS IN FLIGHT
After being on the road and in the recording studio, St. Louis band the Bottle Rockets emerged on the scene again in June with its latest release, Zoysia, an album that melds together the soul of Memphis and scruffy Missouri rock to capitalize on the country genre. This hodgepodge of sounds is not uncommon in the Bottle Rockets’ music, but this time around, the album incorporates more guitar and bluegrass. [ READ MORE ]
STEPHEN KING NAMES ZOYSIA AS BEST OF 2006
Stephen King chooses Zoysia as one of his top 10 records of 2006 in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly... "Zoysia (I don't know what it means either) is their best album ever – tuneful, soulful, and best of all, loud." Primo cuts: ''Better Than Broken,'' ''Feeling Down.''
LEXINGTON HERALD CHOOSES ZOYSIA AS #1 ALBUM OF 2006
The Bottle Rockets, Zoysia. Zoysia is the sound of a bar band that has grown up without losing its edge. The electric spirit of mid-'70s Neil Young guides the music, but Brian Henneman and pals have a wily and worldly sound all their own. The title tune typifies the album's magic by using lawn grass as a means of urban d'tente. That's how homespun Zoysia is at heart. But the guitar charge that backs it up tells you how much The Bottle Rockets still mean business. [ READ MORE ]
THE COLUMBIAN CHOOSES ZOYSIA AS #3 ALBUM OF 2006
The Bottle Rockets: "Zoysia" (Bloodshot Records) -- The St. Louis area band has been through major personnel changes, but with new recruits John Horton (guitar) and Keith Voegele (bass) joining original members Brian Henneman (guitar/vocals/main songwriting) and Mark Ortmann (drums), The Bottle Rockets rebounded with their strongest record since 1997's stellar "24 Hours A Day." [ READ MORE ]
WASHINGTON POST
The Bottle Rockets can count the venerable horror author Stephen King among their legions of fans. King, who is known for his keen pop culture instincts, praised the band in a December issue of Entertainment Weekly. Listing his top-10 music choices for 2006, King dubbed the Bottle Rockets "America's premier bar band" and called the quartet's latest recent CD, "Zoysia," "their best album ever -- tuneful, soulful, and best of all, loud." You can hear the quality for yourself when the St. Louis-based outfit comes to IOTA on Tuesday, with opening act Otis Gibbs. [ READ MORE ]
TOLEDO BLADE
Brian Henneman's not exactly a good ol' boy. He's too open-minded and anti-establishment to personify the stereotypes that go with such a label. But the Bottle Rockets frontman from small-town Missouri exudes Midwestern values: He's friendly and polite, concerned about being a good neighbor, and the kind of musician who hangs around after shows to talk to fans. In short, he's the kind of guy you could toss down a few beers with while talking about your favorite ZZ Top albums, politics, and what's happening to the little towns that have long made up the fabric of this country. [ READ MORE ]
THE BOTTLE ROCKETS remain one of the most steel-solid bands amongst the greatest of rural-rock trailblazers. The St. Louis, Missouri outfit long regarded and adored as THE workingman's rock band have hit a creative high water mark with a new homecoming record that is at once their most spirited and finely honed.